Electric coupler



Dec. 29 1925. 1,567,474

C. H. TOMLINSON ELECTRIC COUPLER Filed June 15, 1921 Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITE STTES i ATEN'E" FFlCE.

CHARLES H. TOMLINSON, 0F MANSFEELD, OHIO, ASSIGI'TOR TO THE TOMLINSON COUPLER COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRIC COUPLER.

Application filed June 15, 1921. Serial No. 477,652.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. ToMLrN- $011, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to couplers for electric conductors and particularly to couplers which are subjected to moisture or dust as is the case with couplers for train line circuits on electrically equipped cars.

My invention has for its object a structure which precludes'all moisture or dust from entering the casing thereof and permitting any of the moving parts which may be partially exposed to operate freely.

My invention resides 1n the novel construction, combination and relation of parts as hereinafter fully explained and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

1 shows, a front, side and top view of my invention in perspective.

Fig. 2 shows a back view.

Fig. 3 shows a top view in partial section.

Fig. 4 shows a side view.

Fig. 5 shows a bottom view.

Fig. 6 shows a View in section of one of the moving contactors mounted in an insulating block.

Fig. 7 shows a modification of a moving contacting element in partial section.

I have found that many types of electric couplers used in exposed places and especially on electric cars are equipped with covers for closing the end opening of the coupler to protect the parts from moisture and sand or dust working into the interior of the casing around the opening necessary between the exposed working parts and the adjacent surface, but such covers require mechanism for automatically opening and closing them upon making and breaking a connection between two coupled heads and such mechanism is costly and expensive to maintain. I have therefore devised a conpler head whereby I am able to avoid the use of automatic or even non-automatic covers and still maintain the interior free from moisture and dust, which is very necessary as the moisture may cause shortrircuiting of the contacts within the casing and the dust to out out the moving parts and in some cases may collect in sufiicient quantities to prevent operation of the parts.

In my preferred construction which I have shown in the simplest form, I provide a casing l which has an opening on one face for access to the interior and this opening is shown on the lower face and closed by a cover 2 held in place by screws 3 with an interposed gasket i to insure a water and dust tight joint. To the rear is shown a tubular member 5 which is secured to the casing in any well known manner as by a screw threaded connection and through this tubular member the electric conductors 6 are brought into the casing. The exposed end of the tubular member can be closed if desired by a proper end member to take the wire 6 or by cement.

The front end of the casing is closed by means of a block of insulation 7 held in place by screws 8 with a gasket 9, extending entirely around the casing and interposed between the insulation and the flange 10.

Projecting from the front face of the coupler is one or more metallic contact members 11 which are mounted within a metallic casing 12 and which in turn is mounted in the insulation member 7. "he contact member 11 is reduced in size and the reduced part 13 extends through the insulation 7 and casing 12 and has on the inner end the nut 14: by means of which the conductor wire 6 is secured to the contact mcmher. To prevent removal of the contact member from the front end of the insulation member I insert a pin 15 through the stem 13 which engages with the insulation block 7 or I may use one of many other equivalent means readily suggesting themselves to one skilled in the art. In order to keep the contact 11 in an advanced position and permit its yielding when engaging a cooperating contact, I employ a spring 16 which yieldingly urges the contact to move in av forward direction.

To prevent the entrance of moisture or dust into the casing 1 or the casing 12, I arrange a packing 17 around the stem 1?) and in contact with the casing 12 and held in engagement therewith by the spring 16 with an interposed washer 18. This arrangement permits the contact to yield freely under action of the spring 16 which also (ill holds the packing in operative relation to the parts at all times and permits the packing to move freely with the movement of the contactor 11. In Fig. 6 I have shown the packing arrangement at the inner end of the contact also but at the inner end the packing 17 and packing nut 18 is stationary and the spring 16 maintains the packing at both ends in operative relation and the contactor 11 in a yielding forward position.

In Fig. 3 the packing is shown only at the inner end of the stem 13.

The coupler is mounted in operative position by means of the lu s 19.

There are many modifications to the detailed and preferred form of my device herein disclosedwhich would readily sug gest themselves to one skilled in the art and which modifications would fall within the scope of my invention; therefore I do not Wish to be limited otherwise than by the following claims 1. An electrical contact comprising an 111 sulating mounting having a recess, a single contact member mounted in the recess and extending through the insulating member mounting, packing means surrounding the contact member within the recess and resilient means Within the recess and acting uponthe packing means to urge it into engagement with the contact member.

2. A coupler contact comprising a support member having a passage and a recess, a contact member positioned in the recess and passage and movable relative to the support member, packing means engaging the contact member and the support and resilient means urging the packing means into engagement with the contact and the contact to move in one direction.

An electrical contact comprising an insulating mounting having a passage therethrougli, a metal casing within the pa ssage, a reciprocating contact member within the casing and projecting from each end thereof, a spring within the casing urging the contact member in one direction and packing material interposed between the spring and casingand surrounding the contact member to prevent the entrance 01" moisture into the casing.

l. An electrical contact comprising a support member, having a passage therethrough, a reciprocating contact member mounted in the passage and projecting from each end of the passage, a spring within the passage to normally hold the contact members advanced in one direction and packing material surrounding the contact member within the passage and engaging the side walls of the passage and acted upon constantly by in the passage urging the contact member H in one direction and packing material interposed between the spring and'support and surrounding the contact member to prevent the entrance o1 moisture into the passage.

6. An electrical contact comprising an insulating mounting having a passage therethrongh, a reciprocating contact member mounted within the passage, means at one end to connect to a conductor and means at the other end to connect to a contact member oi a cooperating device, a packing material within the passage and surrounding the contact member and movable with the contact member when it reciprocates and means to cause the packing to reciprocate in unison with the contact member.

7. An electrical contact comprising an insulating mounting, a reciprocating contact member to engage with a contact member on a cooperating device, reciprocating means surrounding the contact member to prevent the passage of moisture around the contact member and movable with the contact member as it reciprocates and means to yieldingly move the contact member to its advanced position.

8. An electrical contact comprising a mounting, a reciprocating contact member, packing means to prevent moisture entering the mounting around the contact member, means on the cont-act member to move the said packing means when the contact member moves in one direction and yielding means to move the packing means in the opposite direction when the contact member moves in said direction.

9. An electrical contact comprising a sup port having a passage within said support,

a reciprocating contact member mounted insaid passage, separate spaced packing means surrounding the contact member, means to prevent the movement of one packing means in one direction, means to move the other packing in one direction, yielding means interposed between said packings to permit them moving toward each other and tending to normally separate them and means to limit the amount of separation.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

CHARLES H. TOMLINSON. 

